Chapter 4 The Declination

• THE DECLINATION
• “Let’s talk.”, Dina said, breaking their silence. Dina went out of the hospital room first, and Rico could not do anything but follow her outside.
• “What are you doing?! Why does it have to be like this?! Why do you have to intervene against our family matters?!”, Dina snarled but controlled herself to stay calm.
• “I really didn’t mean for us to be in this kind of situation. I did not expect something like this at all! I just want to say sorry to help you persuade your father to allow you to play basketball. That’s all. Believe me or not, I felt kind of guilty, that’s why I want to help you! But to marry you--- this is absurd!”, Rico confronted Dina’s angry tone. He is also worried about their current situation, and Dina can clearly see that even Rico is also shocked. It is written all over his face.
• “Then what do we do now?!”, Dina said as if she wanted to cry.
• “I don’t know. I don’t really know!”, Rico snarled. He has felt the pressure and was really anxious about it. People around them start to wonder due to their loud voices and arguments.
• “How about this… can we just forget that this had happened? Let us both forget all of these things, everything! Tell your father that I wasn’t able to hear what he said. I will go away from you and your family! Your family will never see me again---“, Rico was interrupted when Dina suddenly punched him. A crowd of people near them was all shocked due to Dina’s aggressive reaction. And for this curiosity, many of them start to become attentive to their actions. Some even began gossiping about what Dina and Rico were supposed to be arguing about.
• “Why did you hit me!? Are you really this violent?!”, Rico said furiously.
• “Yes, I am! I am capable of hurting others, especially those crazy ones! Are you crazy?! Do you honestly think my family is that stupid to believe your alibi and excuses?! Dad will never believe that!”, Dina answered back angrily too.
• “Then what should we do?!”, Rico said irritatingly. He doesn’t even care about the tension building around them due to various curious gossip-mongers.
• “We don’t have any choice…”, Dina said and suddenly went serious. Rico immediately felt nervous. He doesn’t want to hear what Dina is going to say, or even just find out what is inside Dina’s mind… he’s not even least interested in it.
• “My dad will never accept NO for an answer---“, Dina premised but was abruptly interrupted.
• “We-wait! Stop! Hold on! Don’t say it! I don’t want to hear it!”, Rico was infuriated.
• “You are really proud of yourself, huh?. Do you honestly think I would want to marry an unfriendly, sarcastic, and ill-mannered guy like you?! I didn’t even show up on our date, right? Do you think that I wanted this? That I dreamed of being in this kind of situation?!”, Dina was fuming while clenching her fists.
• “B-but---“, Rico wanted to disagree, but he could not find any reason that could validate his argument.
• “But my father… is already on his sickbed. And it’s all because of me… it’s all because of both of us! I can’t forgive myself if something even more terrible happens to him because of us. I will no longer blame you as to why we end up in this kind of situation… but for my father’s sake…”, Dina is still hesitant to continue what she was about to say because it is also against her will. Rico closed his eyes, forcing his mind to prepare for the unthinkable even though he didn’t want to hear it.
• “… Marry me, Rico. Prove him you’re indeed responsible. Take me as your wife.”, Dina gathered all her courage to say those words to Rico, not minding what people around them might say. Everyone in there is already looking at the two of them. Rico was so horrified of Dina’s idea, and his cheeks turned. He felt very embarrassed about what Dina was doing right now.
• “What are you doing?! What are you talking about?! Stop joking! Stop saying scandalous words! It’s embarrassing!”, Rico prickly said. He was in a panic. He turned sweaty while looking at the people around them since he became aware of them already. He wanted to shout cursed words to Dina, but it would just make him more ashamed.
• “I am not joking, Rico. You know that. I am serious. I don’t have the time to fool around with you because of my dad’s critical condition.”, Dina seriously answered while looking directly at Rico, straight to his eyes, not caring about the prying eyes of people surrounding them already. Rico felt the seriousness of this matter. He realized Dina was indeed absolute with her decision. She will really agree to their marriage.
• ”No.”, Rico answered Dina directly. Due to this, whispers had become louder ever than before, as if people had been watching a theatrical scene from a movie.
• “I won’t take no for an answer.”, Dina answered back immediately. Rico was left in disbelief.
• “I can’t believe this! You’re a rebel to your father, but… you know what? YOU are exactly like him!”, Rico sarcastically and grudgingly replied. He no longer cares about the scene both he and Dina are causing, even though this would portray him as the villain in this melodramatic scene.
• “I am begging you, Rico. I don’t want to make my father’s situation worst. Please… I am begging you to marry me!”, Dina said with a sturdy tone without realizing her tears began to fall. Rico was taken aback when he saw Dina’s tears. He became speechless and wanted to pity her… but he can’t marry a woman he doesn’t love and won’t be able to love. He is incapable of loving her.
• ”I’m sorry... but I can’t marry you---”, Rico was not able to finish his sentence when he saw Dina running away from him. Rico felt sorry for Dina, but it is just the right thing to do.
• Dina’s tears fell like rain. She swallowed all her pride when she begged Rico. Never in her whole life, has she been able to beg someone like that, even to her father… even for her basketball... BUT everything didn’t care. She felt so worthless.
• It has been a few days since the incident between Dina and Rico happened at the hospital. Rico even started to move on and forget everything about what happened that day.